Carbon efficiency improvements thanks to grant

We are leading the way in going green with work to make the Town Hall and Darlington Hippodrome more environmentally friendly, thanks to a government grant.

The £443,313 from the Heat Decarbonisation Scheme will allow us to make the two buildings more carbon efficient, as pledged in our climate change agreement.

Both the Town Hall and the Hippodrome will have their gas boiler hot water systems replaced with more energy efficient air source heat pumps.

The pumps absorb heat from the outside air to heat hot water and can work when air temperatures are as low as -15°C.

The Town Hall will also have solar panels fitted and all lighting will be upgraded to LEDs.

At the theatre, new controls will be fitted in the loading bays to reduce heat loss and catering equipment will be upgraded.

It is estimated, in total, the project will save 870,500 kWhs of energy per year.

Councillor Heather Scott, Council Leader, said: “In our climate change agreement we pledged to concentrate on carbon efficiency for our own buildings and look at how we could change the way we work to help the environment.

“This grant means we can lead by example and show how changes to the way we all work can have a big impact on carbon emissions. We are committed to meeting the targets in the climate change agreement and would urge everyone to work together to do what they can to reduce our impact on the environment.”

The work on the Town Hall and Hippodrome is set to be completed by the Autumn.